Parts of a Chart

Before you start adding enhancements to a chart, you should understand that a chart is made up of several objects. By clicking on an object, you make it active, and handles appear around it, as shown in Figure 20.1. You can then move or resize the object or change its appearance, by doing any of the following:

• Double-click on an object to display a dialog box that enables you to change the object's appearance. For example, if you double-click on a column in a column chart, you can change its color.

• Right-click on the object, and select the desired formatting option from the shortcut menu.

• Select the object, and select an option from the Format or Insert menu. The Format menu helps you change the appearance of the object; the Insert menu enables you to add objects to a chart, including a legend, data labels, and a chart title.